Category Archives: Uncategorized

When middle school students from Eugene, Oregon were asked what they liked most about helping plant new populations of a rare plant, many enthusiastically replied, “digging holes is the best thing ever!” IAE’s Habitat Restoration and Ecological Education Programs teamed up on a project to not only teach students about a rare plant that occurs […]

Just off interstate 25 near Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Lenora Curtin Wetland Preserve is an unexpected and calm respite from the heat and dryness of the Santa Fe desert. I am here with IAE Southwest Program Director Melanie Gisler and IAE ecologist Yvonne Hickerson, who have been working with partners to restore this unique […]

Mary Ann Maestas, IAE Southwest Botany Field Technician For one of the last seed collections of the season, I joined two Bureau of Land Management interns for some collections and scouting in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Our first stop was to the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, adjacent to La Cienega. At this point in […]

The Conservation Research Program at IAE conducts research on propagation methods and how to best ensure survival upon outplanting for a variety of rare species. Often for these projects, we focus on one question or the other separately, but occasionally we have the opportunity to work with a single species throughout the process. Since 2014, […]

The range of Nelson’s checkermallow consists of highly fragmented, mostly small, populations within the Willamette Valley and flanks of the Coast Range, Oregon. One problem the species faces in the Coast Range is that meadows are being over-run with shrubs and Douglas-fir. In the past these meadows would have been kept open by more frequent […]

On October 28th we had a fantastic volunteer event at Marys Peak with over 50 volunteers and perfect weather! First and foremost thanks to all the volunteers, you all rocked! The focus of the event was to help preserve the meadow at Marys Peak. The meadow is increasingly prone to non-native species establishment and conifer […]

Never underestimate the power of one person to make a big difference. Corvallis artist Caroline Moses could have painted any butterfly. She was commissioned by local Corvallis salon owner Bessie Kotek, who wanted an interactive mural so that her clients would have a fun way to share their new salon looks with friends. But Moses […]

When you eat something, you want to know something about it. Many of us cook or order familiar foods and tend not to branch out often, especially with picky eaters in the family. The Institute for Applied Ecology’s Invasive Species Cook-off and annual fundraiser dinner works to raise awareness: when people try a new food, […]

by Christina Partipilo and Camille Eckel, IAE 2017 Interns The Willamette Valley is home to small pockets of native prairie habitats. Among these native prairie species is the threatened golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta), a species with glowing golden bracts. This once-abundant prairie wildflower was deemed “nearly impossible to cultivate,” and difficult to grow from seed. Since 2003, IAE has […]

Outdoor Education Program for High School Students Utilizes Native Plant Curriculum for New Mexico With the recent completion of the Native Plant Curriculum for New Mexico “From Ponderosa to Prickly Pear” in January 2017, IAE’s Southwest Program was in the perfect position to pilot a new summer educational program in the Santa Fe National Forest […]

It’s finally summer and butterflies are in flight. Butterflies are probably the most loved of all insects, but as native plant habitats decline due to invasive weed spread, agricultural and urban encroachment, some have become threatened. Their needs are simple: 1) Nectar for food, and 2) refuges for egg laying/nesting. In turn, they provide us […]

Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE)’s Sagebrush in Prisons project has inmates caring for seedlings and discovering ecology at 11 prisons in 6 western states, including the Warner Creek Correctional Facility in Lakeview, Oregon with support from the Bureau of Land Management’s Plant Conservation Program. This spring at Warner Creek, inmates are busily caring for 30,000 […]